The Black Belt Program

Twelve weeks. Twelve experiments. One decision you can defend.

A cohort of 15 founders runs the full Insight-Driven Iteration method together, with live coaching and the Workbench throughout.

Starts October 6, 2026Apply by September 19, 2026
The ladder

Three ranks, one path

White Belt

Validation Scorecard

Free. Find out how validated you are and the one assumption to test first.

Black Belt

The 12-Week Program

The cohort. Run all twelve experiments and leave with signed evidence or a clean kill decision.

Sensei

1-on-1 Continuation

For alumni: ongoing 1-on-1 coaching with David as you scale past validation.

The format

12 weeks
Fixed start and end date
15
Founders per cohort
90 min
Weekly live session with David
6
Founders in your peer pod
12
Experiments, each with an artifact
Full
Workbench access throughout
Week by week

Every week runs an experiment and produces an artifact

Specificity is the point. You always know what you're testing this week and what you'll have to show for it.

Week1

Kickoff & the Riskiest-Assumption Map

Experiment
Map every assumption behind the business; rank by risk × uncertainty.
Artifact produced
Assumption map + Fundamental Thesis v0
Week2

Customer–Problem Scan

Experiment
Interview 5 target Customers across segments to surface real problems.
Artifact produced
Customer–Problem combination table
Week3

Problem Interviews at Depth

Experiment
Run 8–10 structured problem interviews; tag every insight.
Artifact produced
Tagged customer-insight library
Week4

Problem Validation Decision

Experiment
Synthesize evidence; choose your focus Customer–Problem.
Artifact produced
Signed problem-validation memo
Week5

Solution Concept & Value Hypothesis

Experiment
Test concepts with Customers; sharpen the value hypothesis.
Artifact produced
Value hypothesis + demo script
Week6

MVP 1.0 Demand Test

Experiment
Run a smoke test, landing page, or preorder to measure real demand.
Artifact produced
Demand-signal report
Week7

Pricing & Willingness to Pay

Experiment
Test price sensitivity and get commitment, not compliments.
Artifact produced
Pricing evidence sheet
Week8

Solution Validation Decision

Experiment
Proceed, pivot, or kill — on the evidence, with the cohort.
Artifact produced
Signed solution-validation memo
Week9

Path-To-Customers: Channel Tests

Experiment
Test 2–3 acquisition channels for signal and cost.
Artifact produced
Channel scorecard with CAC signal
Week10

Repeatable Acquisition

Experiment
Double down on the best channel; build a repeatable funnel.
Artifact produced
Repeatable funnel draft
Week11

Business Model Roll-up

Experiment
Assemble unit economics and a scalable, repeatable model.
Artifact produced
Scalable business-model canvas
Week12

Fundamental Thesis & Decision

Experiment
Finalize the evidence and make a decision you can defend.
Artifact produced
Signed Fundamental Thesis + go/kill decision

What you leave with

A decision you can defend

A validated business model — or a documented, honest kill decision. Both are wins.

A Fundamental Thesis

One shareable, investor-ready document tying every belief to its evidence.

A customer-evidence library

Tagged interviews, experiment results, and insights you can keep building on.

A repeatable method

The Insight-Driven Iteration loop you can run again on the next question, forever.

Tuition
$2,500one time
Or 3 payments of $950 — a convenience at a small premium, not a discount.
12 weekly 90-minute live sessions with David
A peer pod of 6 founders
Full Founder's Workbench access throughout
Every experiment template and the AI Sensei
The conditional guarantee (see right)
Apply to Next Cohort
The conditional guarantee

Do the work, and you don't leave without a result.

Complete all 12 experiments. If you finish without signed evidence or a documented kill decision, you keep the Workbench free for a year and we work 1-on-1 until you have one.

It's gated on your behavior, not your satisfaction — because the only way this fails is if the work doesn't get done.

The gate

Not everyone qualifies

We review every application by hand. The standard is visible on purpose — it's what makes admission mean something.

What we screen for
You're earning $125k+ or recently were, with 10+ years of domain expertise
$10k–$50k of capital committed to this
You've already done something — a prototype, a page, a few customer conversations
You can commit real hours each week for 12 weeks
What disqualifies
Idea-stage with no capital and no action taken yet
Already past product-market fit — you don't need validation
Looking for a done-for-you agency, not a done-with-you program
Review takes about 5 business days. You'll hear back over email either way — no ghosting.

The real objections